


Downtime

by spinninginfinity



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-04
Updated: 2016-07-04
Packaged: 2018-07-21 14:37:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7391164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/spinninginfinity/pseuds/spinninginfinity
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Han and Leia catch an evening news report. "News" being a very generous term.</p>
<p>
  <i>‘Let me tell you one thing,’ he says solemnly. ‘I really am none too happy about your new beau.'</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Downtime

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Han & Leia Appreciation Week](http://han-leia-solo.tumblr.com/post/145959328129/han-leia-appreciation-week) over on Tumblr, for the prompt "jealousy".

‘Remind me why we’re watching this nonsense.’

Leia peers down at Han, who’s lying on the sofa with his head in her lap, a datapad in his hand to match the one in hers. In fact, they’re only half watching the gossip channel, it having become a habit to retreat to their apartment at the end of the day and catch up on memos and the like there together. When the Empire lost enough power for the Alliance to gain a real foothold, they allowed themselves a moment to imagine they might get a break. But it turned out that when General Rieekan remarked that this was where the real work began, he wasn’t kidding, and so Leia relishes these quiet moments with Han and whatever background noise she happens upon.

‘Because,’ she says, in answer to Han’s question, ‘I spend my entire day ironing out treaties and deals and the last thing I need is to come home and hear about it all over again from reporters who get most of the details wrong.’

Han snorts and gestures at the screen. ‘Yeah, ’cause these guys always seem like real sticklers for accuracy.’

‘This is different,’ she says, idly smoothing his hair off his forehead with her free hand. ‘They’re not talking about anything important.’

This much is decidedly true; the two hosts have spent the last ten minutes discussing in painstaking detail the clothing choices of some Coruscanti debutante. 

‘Sure we can find something just as mind-numbing without giving this lot the time of day,’ Han says. He frowns at something on his datapad and then lays it flat on his chest, looking up at her with a sly glint in his eye. ‘What about that serial, you know—’

‘Don’t start,’ she warns, pinching his arm lightly.

‘With the blond,’ he finishes, and grins when she flushes.

Leia lifts her chin and does her best to appear dignified. ‘I think he’s talented, that’s all.’

‘ _I_ think his shirt’s a few sizes too small.’

She huffs and then mutters, ‘The season’s finished, anyway.’

He smirks, then turns his head back to the screen, the sound of Leia’s name catching his attention. ‘Hello.’

Leia follows his gaze, setting her datapad aside. ‘Oh, for the love of—’

‘Of course, this is the third time His Lordship has called for a meeting with Princess Leia,’ one of the hosts is saying, as a split screen shows a picture of a blond man even more good-looking than the one in the serial Leia likes. ‘And of course we can’t say that there’s anything to it, but, ah—what do you think, Kel?’

‘Well, you know, it would be irresponsible to start speculating, Nyss,’ the other host says, which is a sure sign he’s about to do exactly that. ‘I can tell you that we’ve had reports of several expensive gifts, including a genuine fire ruby bracelet, and—well, the Princess has customarily held meetings with newly elected representatives, but three meetings in such a short space of time suggests—’

Nyss leans forward, a gleam in her eye. ‘Something else?’

‘ _Something_ else, yes, precisely,’ Kel says.

‘Could we be looking at a royal wedding in the not-too-distant future?’ Nyss asks, barely able to contain her excitement.

‘Oh, it’s too early to say, far too early to say,’ Kel answers smoothly. ‘But it certainly would be a smart match, wouldn’t it?’

‘You mean in terms of bringing peace to the galaxy?’

‘I don’t know about peace, Nyss; I’m just thinking about what beautiful kids they’d have,’ Kel says, and the pair of them laugh about that for a while before he adds, ‘Though I can think of one person who’d disagree.’

Nyss laughs again. ‘Yes—where does this leave the princess’s—ah—’

‘Smuggler friend?’ Kel supplies. ‘Yes, I’m sure Han Solo is none too happy about Princess Leia’s new beau.’

‘None too happy at all.’ Nyss clears her throat. ‘Though I have to say, if he’s looking for someone to offer him some comfort—’

‘Do you have a little crush, Nyss?’ Kel teases.

‘Not me!’ Nyss cries, mock-appalled. ‘I’m just saying, I think there would be plenty of volunteers.’

‘You think he’s a bit handsome?’

‘Well, I’m not _blind_ , Kel. And he certainly looks like he—um—’ She breaks off in a show of embarrassment that is almost definitely feigned.

‘Spit it out, Nyss,’ Kel says.

‘Yeah, spit it out, Nyss,’ Han mutters.

‘He seems like he’d be very… skilled, is what I was going to say.’

‘Nyss!’

‘At flying!’ she cries. ‘At flying ships, that’s all I meant!’

‘I see,’ Kel says, still grinning, and addresses the camera directly. ‘Well, you heard it here first, folks: if you fancy getting your hands on your own dashing pirate, you’ll have to line up behind Nyss—’

Leia reaches for the remote as the two hosts dissolve into peals of laughter and Han indignantly mouths _pirate?_ at the screen. He turns his head to look up at her.

‘Let me tell you one thing,’ he says solemnly. ‘I really am none too happy about your new beau. Even if you would have cute kids.’

‘Well,’ Leia says, a cool edge to her voice, too, ‘I don’t especially relish the idea of having a sharp word with a whole bevy of beings keen on sleeping with you.’

They regard each other very seriously for a moment.

Leia breaks first, her lips twitching, and then Han can’t contain himself, bursting out laughing a split second before she does.

He supposes if the two of them were talked about more then it would quickly get annoying. But though they’re both well-known members of the Alliance with Leia’s status on top of that, and though the relative unlikelihood of the princess and the smuggler generates a certain amount of intrigue, neither of them do much to invite attention. Leia’s upbringing means that she’s resigned to being in the spotlight sometimes, but she certainly doesn’t relish it, and though he’d never admit it, Han borders on shy when it comes to the press. There are simply easier places to go for a fluffy story.

Of course, their unwillingness to share also means that when something pertaining to their personal lives does pop up in the news, the details are often wildly incorrect, and the results are hugely entertaining.

‘Really,’ Han says, when he’s gotten ahold of himself, sitting up, tossing his datapad aside and shifting close to her, ‘do I have to fight some prince for you now?’

‘He’s not a prince; he’s a lord,’ Leia says primly.

‘Lord?’ he scoffs. ‘That’s fine, then. They’ll let just anyone be one of those. He looks like he spends too much time choosing what to wear in the morning.’

Leia rests her hand on his thigh and turns her face to press a kiss to his shoulder. ‘Given that you’ve had the same five shirts in rotation in the entire time I’ve known you, I’m afraid your concept of how long a person should spend deciding on what to wear may be skewed, dear.’

‘Fine,’ Han says. ‘I guess if we’re having a fight over whose dress sense is better, I can let him win. That’s the only time, though. You know I’d beat that guy at just about anything else.’

She gives him a fond smile. ‘Luckily you won’t have to do any fighting for my hand, sartorial, physical, or otherwise.’

‘Good, ’cause it wouldn’t be fair on him.’

‘On his home planet, they’re taught swordsmanship and archery from a very early age.’

‘On my home planet we’re not above jabbing a thumb in someone’s eye,’ Han retorts.

‘Well, I’d ask that you refrain from doing that to our newest senator,’ Leia says firmly. She turns her face against his shoulder again, breathing him in. ‘Han?’

‘Yeah, Princess?’

‘For what it’s worth, I’m not at all concerned about the attractiveness of any children you and I might have.’

He meets her eyes, smiling. They haven’t had this conversation, not explicitly, but they keep dropping hints that they’re open to it, and it feels warm and fuzzy and comfortable.

‘Fire rubies, though, Leia,’ he says, leaving it alone for now. ‘I can’t get you those.’

Leia raises her eyebrows at him and he tilts his head and amends, ‘I can’t legally get you those.’

It doesn’t really bother him, any of this stuff—the only time he’s ever been insecure about his place in Leia’s affections turned out to be such a huge, embarrassing miscalculation that getting jealous now, whether over pretty blond actors or pretty blond lords, seems stupid.

Leia, meanwhile, watched Han spend the better part of three years utterly oblivious to attention from anyone who wasn’t her, so Nyss and her line of volunteers aren’t a concern, either.

‘He didn’t get me fire rubies,’ she tells him. ‘He got me a rather nice bouquet of flowers, which I refused. I’d never have done the favor he asked for.’

‘Yeah, what did Lord Whatshisface want, anyway?’ Han asks. In spite of what the gossip show’s hosts said, it’s normal for Leia to take multiple meetings with representatives from all over the galaxy in a short space of time. He knows the guy ticked her off because she said as much when she got home last night, but the messy business of setting up a new government meant he’d been way down on the list of things that had ticked her off that day, and so they hadn’t gotten around to talking about it.

‘Well, he wasn’t courting me so much as he was courting the easterly view from my office window and solid Kriin-wood desk.’

‘He wants to switch offices with you?’

‘Apparently his is dingy and the décor isn’t to his taste,’ Leia says. ‘So I said no and recommended a good decorator.’

‘Well, of course you said no,’ Han says, indignant on Leia’s behalf. ‘Or else your office would have been dingy.’

She smiles, looking down at her hands. ‘You see, you understand that. This is why I’m with you.’

He leans in, pressing his lips to her jaw just below her ear and then moving his mouth up. ‘Sure that’s the only reason?’ he whispers, arm stealing over her waist. ‘Sure it’s not that I’m very—’ he kisses her jaw again, ‘—very—’ and again, further down, ‘—skilled?’

She sighs and turns her head toward his, the next kiss catching her mouth, and says, ‘I guess they occasionally get things right.’

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Feedback welcome and appreciated!


End file.
